Stephen Strasburg (SP—Nationals) The Nationals announced on Friday that rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg has a severe tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and may be looking at TJ surgery. If surgery is the chosen path, fantasy owners can forget about Strasburg for the rest of this year and next year as it will most likely be 2012 before we see Strasburg pitch in the Major Leagues again. Whether it was the sore shoulder that cascading into an elbow injury, the wear and tear of throwing too hard or poor mechanics leading with the elbow, it's disappointing news for Strasburg owners who can safely drop him for the season. Those who are in keeper leagues will have a tougher decision to make. TJ surgery has a high success rate, but do you take up a spot on your roster for an entire year waiting for Strasburg to come back? Will he be the same pitcher when he comes back? If your league has inflation values from year to year, will Strasburg value in two years be under what you could get for him on the open market? Big decisions that each owner will have to assess based upon their league rules and restrictions. Strasburg will finish his rookie season with a 5-3 record, an ERA of 2.91 with 92 strikeouts in 68 innings.
Tommy Hanson (SP—Braves) To say that Tommy Hanson was lacking “stuff” in his outing on Friday against the Marlins would be an understatement. Hanson allowed 6 earned runs in 5 innings. The good news was that he didn't walk a batter but the bad news was he allowed 4 home runs. Home runs had been something that Hanson had been able to avoid for the better part of the season having allowed just 8 on the season going into Friday's game. Hanson's components stats on the year have been solid (K/9 –8.2, BB/9- 2.6) and his FIP of 3.12 compared to his ERA of 3.53 was helped by his stinginess with home run balls. Certainly his LOB% of 70.3% is not helping his cause and with Friday's game boosting his ERA up to 3.75, one has to wonder about fatigue for Hanson. His 158 innings is already a career high and with a month to go and the Braves very much in contention, Hanson's arm will be heavily relied upon. Caution for fantasy owners up ahead as we are going into unknown territory with Hanson and his innings pitched. Be aware that the Braves may strategically rest him here and there to preserve him for the final season push and with luck, a post-season opportunity.
Jay Bruce (OF—Reds) Before Friday's game against the Cubs, Jay Bruce had been averaging a home run every 34 at bats. This number was considerable higher than his 21.4 at bat average for his career.. But with three home runs on Friday, that frequency will take a nice bump. Bruce hasn't quite lived up to the expectations he had when he first arrived on the scene in 2008. But at 23, we see flashes, like on Friday, of his tremendous potential. He still has a high strikeout rate (26.5%), lacks discipline (EYE of 0.40) and contact (74%), but we are seeing some improvements with average this year (.265) and line drive rate (20.6%). He still is developing, but he has big time tools to put it all together for the future. But for the here and now, he will go through bouts of hot and cold streaks, but judging from the three home run night, his hot streaks are worth waiting for.
Tim Lincecum (SP—Giants) Not sure who that #55 for the Giants is. I mean, it looks like Tim Lincecum. Acts like Tim Lincecum. But sure isn't pitching like Lincecum. Lincecum took his 9 loss of the season on Friday against 11 wins. He allowed four earned run in six innings against the Diamondbacks and saw his ERA raise to 3.80 on the season. Like I said, who is this guy? His strikeouts are still high (K/9 –9.46) but he's had a little more issues with his control than what we are used to seeing as he has allowed 68 walks for the year which matches his total for last season in 55 less innings. It also looks like his fastball this year is lacking the zip as it's been averaging around 91.3 mph compared to last year at 92.4 and in '08 at 94.1. Over his last 8 starts, Lincecum has an ERA of 6.20 with batters hitting around .320 against him. His fastball during this span has dropped to an average of 90.7 mph. Lincecum's next assignment is on Wednesday when he matches up with Ubaldo Jimenez at home. That's a tough task with the way Lincecum has been pitching and, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it might be worthwhile to give Lincecum a seat as he struggles to find his former self.
Johnny Cueto (SP—Reds) Johnny Cueto picked up his 12th win on Friday, pitching 8 innings and allowing just one earned run. Cueto lowered his ERA for the season down to 3.49 and despite some rough patches throughout the season, has been primarily very good. To put it succinctly, when he has been on, he has been really on as evident by Friday night. On the season, Cueto has eleven games that he has given up less than 2 earned runs out of 25 games started. His home run rates are down this year and his BB/9 of 2.93 is reflected in an improved WHIP of 1.25. He has a good shot to be a 15+ game winner this year with the Reds playing as well as they have. They will be counting on Cueto, who will soon surpass his season high innings pitched of 174 (152 now) so a tired arm may be a concern going into September. Beware of a few stinker games that Cueto is prone to throw out there, but he should produce solid results the rest of the way.
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